Heat center Hassan Whiteside to play in NBA Africa Game

The Miami Heat’s Hassan Whiteside (21) reacts to a play during the first quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at American Airlines Arena in Miami on Tuesday, April 3, 2018. (Daniel A. Varela/Miami Herald/TNS)

MIAMI — Hassan Whiteside’s offseason will include a trip to Africa.

The Heat’s center will play for Team World in the NBA Africa Game on Aug. 4 in Pretoria, South Africa. Coach Erik Spoelstra represented the Heat in Africa last year as part of the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program.

The event features a Team Africa vs. Team World format. Team Africa will be made up of players born in Africa or with direct family ties to the continent, and Team World will be composed of players from the rest of the world.

The NBA has previously held two sold-out Africa Games, in Johannesburg in 2015 and 2017, in support of charities including UNICEF, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and SOS Children’s Villages South Africa (SOSCVSA).